Premier League: A Nervy Win Over Crystal Palace

Manchester United hosted Crystal Palace earlier today at Old Trafford in the Premier League. Palace and their manager Patrick Vieira have caused some problems for United this season, holding them to a rare draw at Selhurst Park just a few weeks ago. While they struggle against other sides, Palace seem to be rather astute at causing problems for United. A matchup like that will happen sometimes, both in this sport and others. They have a strong defensive shape and they’re always up for this fixture.

Before the match started, Vieira and United manager Erik ten Hag laid wreaths at the center circle in commemoration of the lives lost in the Munich Air Disaster, which happened 65 years ago this week. On February 6, 1958 a plane carrying the entire Manchester United team crashed just after takeoff during an ice storm in Munich, Germany. 23 people were killed, including 8 first-team players and 3 members of the coaching staff. I hope no club ever has to endure the tragedy this club endured on that day. We will never forget the Flowers of Manchester!

Things were lively almost from the get-go, with United being awarded a penalty just six minutes into the match. The hand ball in the penalty area happened around the four minute mark, but referee (and certified blind man) Andre Marriner was told to consult with VAR. He only awarded the penalty after a lengthy review and several protests from United players. While ultimately the correct decision was made as the Palace defender clearly had his arm raised in an unnatural position, this was not the last incident involving Marriner today. Midfielder Bruno Fernandes stepped up the spot deployed his trademark skip-hop to finesse a low shot into the left corner of the goal, sending Palace keeper Vicente Guaita the wrong way. It took a bit of time to get done, but it was 1-0 United on 7 minutes!

United kept the pressure on, and Guaita was forced into a double save on 13 minutes. He jumped high to push away a header from striker Wout Weghorst, and then had to get down low to deny center back Raphael Varane’s follow up on the rebound. Forward Marcus Rashford got his first shot on goal on 27 minutes, but Guaita was there again to deny his shot from a tight angle. Winger Antony dos Santos also came close to getting a second goal for United on 33 minutes, only for his well-placed shot from outside the box to be unintentionally blocked by two other United players. Palace were struggling to create solid chances at their end given United’s dominance on the ball, but winger/forward Jeffrey Schlupp forced a save from United keeper David De Gea on 42 minutes with a low and powerful shot from just outside the box. At half time it was 1-0 to United, but everyone in the stadium knew that one goal would not be enough to win this game. The Red Devils needed a second goal to really put it away.

Palace were a little better after the re-start, while United continued to struggle to find that second goal. ETH made a key substitution on 59 minutes that changed United’s attack, and it paid off almost right away. Winger Alejandro Garnacho was brought on for Weghorst, with Rashford moving in from the left wing to play as the central striker. United had the ball forward on 62 minutes, with defensive midfielder Casemiro laying the ball off back to Garnacho on the edge of the area. Garnacho spotted left back Luke Shaw in a forward position in space in the box, so he played it out to him. Shaw played it back in immediately with a low cross, and it was straight to Rashford who re-directed the ball home past Guaita for 2-0. An astute tactical change from ETH, and a fine team goal from the lads. Rashford now has 19 goals in all competitions this season, and he is absolutely on fire.

Normally at 2-0 on 60+ minutes the result would be in hand for United, but a bit of Vieira-inspired shithousery got Palace back into the game. Vieira was a master shithouser in his playing days, and it seems to have rubbed off on his team. A harsh challenge on Antony on the right wing caused some pushing and shoving between the sides, and during the fracas VAR captured images of Casemiro with his hands around the neck of Palace midfielder Will Hughes. A yellow card was given to Schlupp for his antics, but Casemiro was shown a straight red card after a VAR review for the chokehold on Hughes. Not going to make any excuses for Casemiro as it was rather stupid of him to act so aggressively, but the Palace players initiated the handbags with the tackle on Antony out-of-bounds. I am not sure the punishments were handed out by Marriner equally, as it were. It’s also still unclear when VAR is supposed to be used, as there have been several incidents this season where United should have been awarded a free kick (or even a penalty) for a foul but no VAR check was ever initiated.

In any event, United had to play the final 25 minutes plus stoppage time with only 10 men. That’s tough in any scenario, but I still felt they would hold on given their lead and Palace’s ineptitude in attack. But the cat was well and truly among the pigeons on 76 minutes, when Schlupp got one back for Palace. De Gea had just got done making a fine save from midfielder Idrissa Gueye’s header, only for the resulting corner to lead to their goal. The initial ball over the top was only half-cleared by United, and it fell to midfielder Abdoulaye Doucouré just inside the penalty area. He played the ball back in low towards goal, where it was deflected/re-directed home over the head of De Gea by the outside of Schlupp’s left foot. A good finish, but United should have done better to clear the ball. The goal set up a nerve-wracking ending for the home side. United had to go from cruise control to battle stations in a matter of moments!

Fortunately, ETH knew what to do. He brought on every center back United has, plus handed a debut to midfielder Marcel Sabitzer. The goal was stability at the back. United didn’t need to score again, they just needed to hold on. Center back Lisandro Martinez had been having a very good game already, but he ascended to another level of play in the final 10 minutes plus stoppage time. Whenever a clearance, block, or tackle was needed, he was there. The commentators were saying his name so much towards the end I almost thought there were two players named Martinez on the pitch. All hail The Butcher of Amsterdam! Man of the Match in my book.

Palace created a few half chances in those final minutes, but really couldn’t find that clear goal-scoring opportunity. Credit to United for a bit of shithousery of their own. They were very effective at keeping the ball in the Palace half of the pitch, and won a series of throw-ins and free kicks that took a ton of time off the clock. Despite being down to 10 men, they held on and won 2-1!

It was uglier than it needed to be at the end, but three points is three points. I am proud of the resolve the team showed, and very impressed with the tactical astuteness of ETH. I think without his timely substitutions and adjustments today the result is different. I’m fairly disappointed in Casemiro though. United had the game sealed away after his rash antics during the scuffle, and the lads really had to hold on with him gone. He’s easily one of our best players and now we are without him for the next three domestic matches. I think he needs to be footing the bill at the next team dinner! Also a bit of a shocker from Marriner/the VAR official today. No matter though, United have now won 13 home matches in a row, the longest victory streak at home in over a decade. ETH is the man!

Some additional good news is that Newcastle only drew with West Ham today, which means United are now in sole possession of 3rd place with a two point lead. They are three points behind rivals Manchester City, but City have a game in hand. League leaders Arsenal were also shocked today by Everton, which means United are 8 points back of first place. The title is still a long shot, but Newcastle’s draw helps the Red Devils significantly in their quest for the top 4. Next match is at home to fierce rivals Leeds United on February 8th.

Glory Glory Man United! Glazers Out!

World Cup Round of 16 – France and England Clinical

The government of Qatar is repressive and fascist. FIFA is corrupt and hypocritical. Simple as.

Neither match was a close one in the end today, but we have ourselves a serious showdown set in the quarterfinals here.

France vs. Poland

This was the early match of the day and defending champions France won fairly comfortably in the end 3-1, but there were undoubtedly a few moments of panic for them before and after they scored the opening goal on 43 minutes via Olivier Giroud. The Polish defense gave him far too much space and he was able to redirect a shot back across goal. Giroud actually hit the ball into the ground a bit first, which caused it to bounce over the hand of Polish keeper Wojciech Szczęsny and in for 1-0. It could be argued though that Poland should have already been ahead, and would have been if not for some goal line clearances by the French defense around the 35 minute mark. Szczęsny had been brilliant up until then, but his defense really let him down.

France were the better team on the day, as they were frequently the ones pressing the Polish and winning the ball high up the pitch to create chances. When the opposition’s front four contains Giroud, Kylian Mbappe, Ousmane Dembele, and Antoine Griezmann, giving the ball away to them is suicidal. The Polish were lucky to hold the French out for the first 40 minutes, and they were also fortunate to keep it at 1-0 until the 76 minute mark.

It was then that Mbappe decided to take over the game, and he did so by scoring two goals in quick succession, each of them powerful and precise finishes over Szczęsny that gave him absolutely no chance. Mbappe is one of, if not the, best players in the world right now and he showed why with those two goals. Everyone knows he’s a world-class sprinter, but he showed a real striker’s instinct and technique today too. Mbappe is the current top scorer at this World Cup with 5 goals.

Polish striker Robert Lewandowski got a goal back for his side from the penalty spot in the dying seconds of the match, and while it fooled French keeper Hugo Lloris it was nothing more than a consolation goal. Even Lewandowski knew it was just going to be one for the statistics, and of no other real significance.

France decisively move on to the quarterfinals. They look incredibly strong right now, even if it took them a while to score today. I was concerned about their injuries and team spirit coming into this tournament, but so far those worries have been unfounded. It helps that Mbappe is in absolutely scintillating form right now. Poland will be sad to be going home, but they lost to an extremely good team today.

England vs. Senegal

My stomach was turning itself inside out in anticipation of this match. England were favored coming in, probably in part due to the unavailability of Senegalese all-world winger Sadio Mané (injury) and industrious midfielder Idrissa Gueye (suspension). But the team known as the Lions of Teranga were not to be underestimated, as they are the reigning African champions.

And indeed, it was the Senegalese who were on the front foot almost from the off. They were using their pacey forwards to press England’s defense high up the pitch, knowing that England like to play the ball out from the back. This tactic employed by manager Aliou Cissé worked quite well for a bit, and they almost caught England out several times. Their best chance came around half an hour into the match, when forward Boulaye Dia found some space in the box and lashed a powerful shot towards goal that required a rather magnificent save from England keeper Jordan Pickford. He stuck out his left arm and held it firm to deny Dia, and England cleared.

England had a lot of possession in the opening 35 minutes or so, but they weren’t really doing anything with it. The middle of the park was devoid of England shirts, so there was nowhere for the center backs to pass it to. However, England finally got a meaningful attack going down the left wing on 39 minutes, and it resulted in the first goal from midfielder Jordan Henderson. A neat backheel fell to striker Harry Kane, who spotted the run of midfielder Jude Bellingham ahead of him. His weighted pass made it through the defense, and Bellingham latched onto the ball just outside the box. He ran into the box as his marker was level with him, but his cutback cross found Henderson in space. Henderson hit it first time along the ground, and it rolled into the goal just past the reach of keeper Edouard Mendy. A massive relief for England and very much against the run of play, but we’ll take it! Henderson is the 8th different English player to score at this tournament.

Senegal pushed forward to try and find an equalizer, but it was England who got an important second goal on the very stroke of halftime. England won the ball back via Bellingham after a deflected cross fell into his path, and he carried the ball forward while riding challenges from the opposition. He found winger/forward Phil Foden ahead of him to his left in a one-on-one with a defender. Foden hit a return pass into the path of Kane, who was running forward in support and unmarked. The ball deflected off a defender before falling to Kane, who took a touch and then buried a powerful shot into the net from about 12 yards out, just to the right of the penalty spot. Mendy had no chance, and Kane is now just one goal behind Wayne Rooney’s all-time England scoring record. Kane has been a wonderful facilitator of play so far this tournament, but getting him on the scoresheet today was very important. He showed his striker’s instincts with that finish, and England will need those instincts going forward.

The England fans in the stadium and around the world went from anxious to buoyant in the span of about 8 minutes! Cissé was forced into making three changes at halftime, but they failed to make much of an impact as England got the next goal on 57 minutes from winger/forward Bukayo Saka. This time it was Senegal giving the ball away in a dangerous area, with it being brought forward by Kane. Kane was tackled though and the loose ball fell to Foden, who beat a defender on the left wing before spotting the diagonal run of Saka across his man. The cross from Foden was inch-perfect, and Saka deftly lifted it over Mendy with his first touch for 3-0. England were running rampant and well on their way to the quarterfinals.

The tempo of the game slowed down a bit from there, as both managers made changes. England boss Gareth Southgate was keen to get some of his key players off to save them for the next match, while letting the talents of the bench players shine as well. Although no more goals were scored, England were closer to finding a fourth than Senegal was to finding a first. In the end it was a very satisfactory day for the Three Lions, if a bit nervy to start off.

Credit to Southgate for sticking to his guns and going with the team he felt was right. I was surprised at the omission of forward Marcus Rashford and the inclusion of Henderson in the starting line-up today, but both of those worries were without merit. It turns out that Southgate might just know what he’s doing, although I certainly could do without the slow starts in the future. In the first half hour I feared this game would go the way the one against the Americans did, with it ending 0-0 and England generally looking lackluster. But once England moved the ball up the levels of the pitch with pace and purpose, there was little Senegal could do about it. The first goal today was a product of Southgate’s system, make no mistake about it. The players’ positioning on the wings and playing the ball out from the back led to the opening for Kane to find Bellingham. The system does not always work of course, but today it did.

A special shoutout to Bellingham, who was Man of the Match (among many fine candidates) for me today. The 19 year-old Borussia Dortmund midfielder showed a range of skills today I have not seen from an Englishman since maybe…ever? He can pass, he can dribble, he can head the ball, he can tackle, he has positional awareness, and while he did not score today he did so against Iran in the first match. This lad can do it all, and he can do it all at an extremely high level. If he keeps going like this, he can develop into the best midfielder in the world. Not being hyperbolic.

CAM ON INGERLAND!!!

Quarterfinals – England vs. France – Saturday, December 10th at 11 AM PST